Meeting Information
Annual Meeting Awards
Josef Warkany Lecturer
This lecture recognizes Josef Warkany’s contributions to the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention. Dr. Warkany was the first person to demonstrate that exposures to environmental chemicals are responsible for the production of congenital malformation. His early studies culminated in the formulation of the scientific principles of teratology. This award recognizes a scientist who has significantly contributed to the field over his/her career. This year’s lecture will be presented by Alan M. Hoberman, Charles River. Dr. Hoberman will deliver the Josef Warkany Lecture during the meeting on June 27, 2022.
F. Clarke Fraser New Investigator Award
This award honors F. Clarke Fraser, one of the founding members of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention, for his many contributions to the field of developmental toxicology. The award recipient must be an active member of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention with evidence of a successful, independent research career in birth defects research. This year’s award recipient is Mahsa Yazdy, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, who will present on Sunday, June 26.
James G. Wilson Publication Award
This award honors James G. Wilson, one of the founding Society members, and is presented in recognition of the best paper accepted or published in the journal Birth Defects Research during the prior year. The dual purpose of the award is to provide recognition to the author(s) of the best paper and to encourage authors trained in various disciplines to submit high-quality papers to Birth Defects Research. The paper selected for this year’s award is Global birth defects app: An innovative tool for describing and coding congenital anomalies at birth in low resource settings, Birth Defects Research, 2021; 113: 1057–1073. Dr. Helen Dolk, Ulster University will present during the meeting on June 26, 2022.
Keynote Lecture
The Society is honored to have Bekim Sadikovic, PhD, DABMG, FACMG, London Health Sciences Centre present the Keynote Lecture on June 26, 2022. Dr. Sadikovic is an Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Western University, and Head of Molecular Genetics at the London Health Sciences and St Joseph’s Healthcare in Ontario Canada. His interests concentrate on the study of genomic and epigenomic changes in complex (non-Mendelian) human disorders, particularly cancer. Changes in DNA sequence and copy number, in addition to, and in combination with, the environmentally inducible changes in epigenetic profiles and gene regulatory mechanisms (i.e., DNA methylation), disrupt gene expression networks resulting in disease phenotypes. Identification of such genomic and epigenomic biomarkers will allow us to understand the causes, assist with diagnosis and prognosis, and ultimately help in the treatment and prevention of complex disorders. His research predominantly employs the whole-genome (both microarray and sequence-based) approaches and focuses on the comparison of human subjects and control tissue specimens.
Robert L. Brent Lecture
This lecture recognizes Robert L. Brent’s contributions to the Society and particularly for the implementation of the “Teratogen Update.” The purpose of the Robert L. Brent Lecture is to facilitate the discussion of new and old teratogens during the Annual Meeting. This year’s Robert L. Brent Lecture will be presented by Matthew W. Gillman, National Institutes of Health. Dr. Gillman will deliver the Robert L. Brent Lecture during the meeting on June 28, 2022.
Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention Innovator Award
This award recognizes innovative and translational research at the intersection of at least two of the following areas: basic science, new technologies, clinical research, policy, and outreach.
The three finalists for this year’s award are Bevin E. Blake, who will present A High- Throughput Toxicity Screen of 42 Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) And Functional Assessment of Migration and Gene Expression in Human Placental Trophoblasts; Madhumita Basu, who will present Maternal Hyperglycemia Impairs Cardiomyocyte Differentiation to Elevate the Risk of Congenital Heart Disease; and Loreen Straub, who will present Classification of Congenital Malformations Informed by Machine Learning with Human Adjudication. The abstracts will be presented during the Innovator Award Finalist platform session at the meeting on June 26, 2022.
Edward W. Carney Trainee Award
This award supports graduate student or postdoctoral scholar travel to meetings that offer significant educational opportunities in the field of reproductive and developmental toxicology, such as the annual meetings of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention and the Society of Toxicology. The award is supported by the Edward W. Carney Trainee Award Fund which was established within the SOT Endowment in memory of Dr. Carney to encourage education and training in reproductive and developmental toxicology. The 2022 recipients are Madeline Vera-Colón, University of California Riverside and Kian Afsharian, University of Toronto. This award will be presented during the Annual Meeting Awards Presentation and Business Meeting, on Wednesday, June 29, 2022.
Patricia Rodier Mid-Career Award in Research and Mentoring
This award honors the legacy of Dr. Patricia Rodier, a past President of the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society and a past Council member of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention. The purpose of the award is to recognize a mid-career individual who has demonstrated successful, independent research in neurobehavioral teratology, birth defects, or related fields; and has demonstrated a commitment to mentorship of students, postdoctoral fellows, young investigators, and/or trainees. This year’s award recipient is Jennifer Anne Willford, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Willford will give her presentation during the meeting on June 26, 2022.
Narsingh Agnish Fellowship
This award recognizes Narsingh Agnish’s contributions to the Society, particularly the implementation of the Education Courses. The Narsingh Agnish Fellowship is awarded to a long-standing member who has made a major contribution to education in the field. This year’s recipient is Christopher S. Lau, US Environmental Protection Agency. Dr. Lau will give his presentation during the meeting on June 27, 2022.
Birth Defects Research Distinguished Scholar Awards
These awards recognize distinguished authors for the importance, impact, and relevance of their published works in the field of birth defects research. The dual purpose of these awards is to provide recognition to the authors of high-impact papers and to encourage authors trained in various disciplines to submit high-quality papers to our journal, Birth Defects Research.
2022 Award Recipients
Ester Garne, MD, for research associated with Spectrum of Congenital Anomalies in Pregnancies with Pregestational Diabetes; Birth Defects Research–Part A, 94.6: 417-423 (2012)
Delphine Psychoyos, Vinod K. Yaragudri, and Richard H. Finnell, for research associated with Cannabinoid Receptor 1 Signaling in Embryo Neurodevelopment.; Birth Defects Research–Part B, 95.2:137–150 (2012)
Edward W. Carney Distinguished Service Award
This award honors Edward W. Carney, Past President of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention, for his exemplary dedication and service to the Society and the field. This year’s Edward W. Carney Distinguished Service Award recipient is William Slikker Jr., US Food and Drug Administration and ToxStrategies, Inc. Dr. Slikker has a wide-reaching impact on the field of birth defects research and developmental and reproductive toxicology. For the last 40 years, he has been an active member of the Society, serving on numerous committees, and leadership as President. He has been instrumental in encouraging and mentoring trainees and junior Society members and fostering community within the Society through his organization of the Annual Meeting Volleyball Game. Dr. Slikker has left an indelible mark on the Society and on the field at large.
Wilson Presentation Award
The Graduate Student/Postdoctoral Platform Session on June 26, 2022, showcases the work of eight students and postdoctoral fellows. The participants in this session were selected by the Student Affairs Committee.
Marie W. Taubeneck Award
This award is presented to a student or postdoctoral fellow in recognition of scholarship in research on birth defects and disorders of developmental origin and service to the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention and includes a cash prize. The Marie W. Taubeneck Fund established in memory of Dr. Taubeneck supports this award. The recipient of this award is selected by the Student Affairs Committee and will be announced during the Annual Meeting Awards Presentation and Business Meeting.
James C. Bradford Memorial Student Poster Award
This award recognizes the best poster presentation by a student or postdoctoral fellow at the Annual Meetings of BDRP and DNTS and is jointly sponsored by MARTA and Sanofi US. This award will be announced during the Annual Meeting Awards Presentation and Business Meeting.